Committee of Anaesthesiology Trainees (CAT)
The Committee of Anaesthesiology Trainees (CAT) was established in 2011 and is made up of trainees elected by their peers. CAT gives anaesthesiology trainees a formal voice within the College, helping to shape the Specialist Anaesthesiology Training Programme and ensuring that trainee perspectives are heard.
The committee also provides trainee representation on a number of College committees and external groups, and contributes valuable insights that guide the future development of anaesthesiology in Ireland.
Hi, my name is Aisling and I am delighted to be Chair of the Committee of Anaesthesiology Trainees (CAT) for 2026/2027.
CAT represents anaesthesiology trainees across Ireland and at every stage of training. This year, we hope to build on the great work of previous committees, while developing some new initiatives of our own. We will be playing an active role in the development of new Communications and Research committees, rolling out Sustainability Leads across select training sites, and continuing our focus on trainee wellbeing, professional development and, of course, the occasional social event!
CAT is your committee. If there is an issue you think we should be raising, an idea you would like to get off the ground, or something you think we could be doing better, please get in touch through your local Lead Anaesthesiology Trainee or at cat@coa.ie.
Follow us on Instagram @cat_committee_ to keep up with CAT news, events and activities throughout the year.
I’m really looking forward to representing you and working with a fantastic committee over the year ahead.
Mise le meas,
Aisling Hickey
Chair, CAT 2026/2027
Dr. Nicola Duffy
Chair, Social Events
Dr. Caroline Brogan
Vice-Chair, Social Events
Dr Brandon Tan Zhiming
AAGBI Trainee Rep
Dr. Donal Roche
Treasurer, NCPA Trainee Rep, Training Com
Dr. Dan Coffey
Training Com, NDTP Forum Subcommittee, Sustainability
Dr. Orla Murray
Examinations Committee, Education Committee, JFICMI / ICSI, National Lecture Series
Dr. Mark O’Rahelly
National Lecture Series, Wellbeing / wellbeing events, Global Health
Dr. Meghan Carton
LAT Coordinator, Wellbeing / wellbeing events
Dr. Tara Bannon
National Lecture Series, CAT News / Social Media, Social Events
Dr. Siobhan Clarke
Quality and Safety, HSE Liaison
Dr. Sinead Brady
Pain Medicine Faculty
The Lead Anaesthesiology Trainee (LAT) role was established in 2015. The role of this representative is to encourage communication between all trainees and the Committee of Anaesthesia Trainees. They also facilitate communication at a local level between trainees and individual anaesthetic departments. There is a permanent LAT coordinator position on CAT to facilitate this. CAT updates LATs regularly on any developments within the College that will have an impact upon trainees, as well as CAT activities.
CAT Boat Party – September 2025
CAT Quiz – March 2026
Congress – May 2026
Conferral – June 2027
*See our Instagram page for more details (cat_committee_)
We have compiled a number of resources that trainees have found useful for the MCAI, FCAI and a number of optional exams that you may sit during training. We hope this helps a little with your initial preparation for exams! The resource are available on the relevant exam page:
The National Lecture series was set up in 2023 by CAT with the aim of providing standardised, high-yield anaesthetic teaching to all anaesthesia trainees nationwide, as an additional resource to local departmental teaching.
The new format of once monthly morning lectures is running from November 2025 to July 2026 on a pilot basis. Lectures will take place via zoom, on the second wednesday of every month at 7.30am – you can join via the link sent by the training department each month.
This change is aimed at increasing engagement and getting all departments around the country tuned in to foster discussion and an increased sense of community.
We will aim to keep topics in line with the curriculum. Proposed future topics include:
- Regional anaesthesia
- Airway management
- Perioperative management
- Paediatric anaesthesia and Critical care
These lectures are recorded and are available for trainees on the Brightspace Learning Management System – https://cai.brightspace.com/d2l/home.
This platform was launched in July 2025. If you are having trouble accessing the platform, please contact the college support team at brightspace@coa.ie.
House Swap Initiative
This is a new initiative set up in response to the CAT wellness survey. Over time, we hope to build a network for housing swaps between SAT trainees.
Please note this page is public. We recommend including an email address for contact. Please do not share Eircodes or home addresses.
If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know.
You can access the live link HERE
